We live in a time that promotes the idea of being yourself. Equality is something that our generation embraces. But just how important is it to keep and open mind?

Growing up in southern Indiana there wasn't a lot of diversity in my school system. Predominately white, my hometown was far different than the university I chose to attend. Ball State and Muncie, Indiana, has open my eyes to the how little I truly knew about diversity and different cultures. It showed me there was much more to learn.

Im very thankful for the time I have had at Ball State. The people I have met and things I have seen have made me grow as a person. There are so many amazing people that I have met that truly changed my perspective on life.

I came to Ball State pursuing a career as a journalist, because I am a natural storyteller. Given that the great David Letterman graduated from this same university, I thought that it was a good fit for me.

As I got into higher level news classes in my Telecommunication degree, the topic of how people view the media became a concern for us and worked its way into our coursework. The idea that the media's coverage paints stereotypes with negative connotations was a topic that I always took to heart.

The more I heard people talk about struggles that I, being a white male, can't imagine really opened my eyes. I learned that keeping an open mind and remembering that everyone is a person is so important.

From the most part, I think the students at Ball State and the people that are around my age understand that. They keep an open mind and it is something that I saw far less of in high school. It is very encouraging and I hope that everyone come around to the idea of an open mind. It is like I said before, in the end we are all just people making our way in this crazy world.